Monday letters: Nursing homes, pro-life, political hypocrisy

Copyright 2014: Houston Chronicle

Updated 7:38 pm, Sunday, June 29, 2014

Nursing homes

Regarding "Nursing home blues" (Page B6, Friday), the editorial about the recently released AARP state report card on Texas' nursing home quality correctly points to the nexus between the ability of skilled nursing providers to retain qualified staff and the state's low Medicaid rate - ranked 49th in the nation.

In a competitive jobs market, nursing home providers vie for qualified nurses but are unable to compete with higher wages offered in other healthcare settings, most notably hospitals.

More than two thirds of the elderly receiving skilled nursing care in Texas facilities are Medicaid beneficiaries.

We urge state lawmakers to give serious consideration to Texas' woefully low Medicaid rate in the effort to increase quality and enhance the delivery of care to our state's frail elderly.

Regarding "High court tosses abortion clinic zone" (Page A3, Friday), I was pleased to see the caption for the picture of women with signs outside the Supreme Court identified as "Pro-life activists." This is rare.

The vast majority of the time, those in the pro-life camp are labeled as "anti-abortion" protesters or demonstrators. One of the few times I hear the term "pro-life" on the radio or read it in the media is when someone is being quoted.

Otherwise the positive terms of "pro" advocate or activists are reserved for the pro-choice movement. What I would like to see is a level playing field.

Regarding "State, U.S. officials point fingers while border woes grow" (Page B1, Tuesday), while the Republicans in the House reject a comprehensive bipartisan immigration plan from the Senate (which includes funds galore for border security) and stall on formulating a piece-meal immigration plan they themselves recommended, they take photo-ops like Attorney General Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz have done to criticize our current state of affairs.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, they have almost stopped participating in the creation of new laws, having the lowest legislation creation rate in history, while spouting their latest talking point about the lack of the rule of law.

In Texas, there is money available to rush to make a point regarding supposed inadequacy of border security, but money is lacking for adequately funding education and providing medical care under the Affordable Care Act.

When does this hypocrisy become evident above all their talking points?